Concerning the joint operation between the Ministry of Health and Police of Generalitat de Catalunya-Mossos d’Esquadra against the sale of illegal medical products through the Internet, the Ministry notifies that last week an individual responsible for a web page where medicines for erectile dysfunction treatment were sold was arrested in El Prat de Llobregat by Mossos d’Esquadra, which is an illegal practice in Spain.

Police action began because of complaint by the Ministry of Health. In an enquiry carried out on illegal or falsified medical products through the Internet a web site where medicines for erectile dysfunction treatment could be acquired cash on delivery was detected. Investigations performed from the Ministry of Health revealed the transaction of medicines that could be bought through the page where made from a post office box from El Prat de Llobregat.

The particularity of this case of sale of medicines through the Internet is that these illegal products were supplied from Catalonia, when the most frequent situation is that their origin is a foreign country. This, together with the fact that this activity could represent a criminal offence against public health, made it to be notified to the Mossos d’Esquadra in order to begin a police enquiry.

On that web site illegal medicines were essentially offered in Spain for erectile dysfunction treatment, as tadalafil or sildenafil, which presented as generic Cialis or Viagra.

In Spain there are registered medicines containing tadafil or sildenafil, which can only be used with medical prescription and be acquired at pharmacies. The process of register of a product is the guarantee of medicines’ quality, security and efficacy. The fact they are bought in pharmacies offers citizens the guarantee of adequate storage and authenticity of medicines acquired.

In the police operation, 700 tablets of illegal medicines against erectile dysfunction from Asia, although it is not known who is the manufacturer, as this is not specified in the tablets seized. Moreover, documents seized proved cash on delivery was made for over 500 transactions throughout Spain. (For further details, please visit the press release issued by Mossos d’Esquadra.)




The Ministry of Health warns citizens that the sale of medicines requiring medical prescription through the Internet is today a forbidden practice in Spain. Moreover, it may pose health risks for population consuming these products because in most occasions both their manufacturer and manufacturing conditions remain unknown. This makes that there is no guarantee of their quality, security and efficacy. These medicines can have a different composition from that declared in their labeling and even contain ingredients that are harmful for health. In some cases, medicines are falsified, in order to cause deception among consumers, imitating real products.

The use of medicines requiring medical prescription without the diagnosis and previous health status of the patient reported by a medical professional may entail undesirable effects for health, as these medicines must be used under special conditions.

That is why the Ministry of Health advises against acquiring this type of medicines through the Internet.